It rose from Bai Cheng's palm, transforming into an extremely fine yet incomparably pure warm light, flying toward that patch of Chaotic Mist.
The moment it touched the mist, those chaotic streams of light attempted to entwine and devour it, but this existence born from nothingness seemed to possess a natural resistance to chaos.
Like a drop of oil falling into water, it was surrounded but not dissolved.
Slowly and tenaciously, it sank into the depths of the mist.
Lu Duo's Emerald Network followed closely behind, maintaining resonance with the slightest connection;
Yu Nian's pure heart vine stood ready at any moment to receive any echoes that might escape;
Bai Cheng adjusted the frequency of the oath of starlight to synchronize with the speck of light, and scenes from within the mist began to automatically emerge upon the pages of the book of commonality.
Distorted space, shattered fragments of time, painful memories stretched into silk, and those fading shadows of echoes that were being digested, having already lost most of their form.
The speck of light traveled through the mist, and every time it encountered a remnant Echo, it gently transmitted the coordinates of the Starfire Archives and the frequency of the river of light.
It was like a messenger lighting a glimmer in a storm; though weak, it stubbornly delivered a message:
"There is still a place where you can exist."
The first response appeared.
It was a memory of sunset bells that had almost completely dissipated.
It could no longer form a complete image, leaving only a wisp of golden lingering charm and a distant Echo.
But after receiving the message from the speck of light, it struggled, gathering its final strength toward the outside of the mist, toward the direction guided by the Emerald Network.
Break free.
The pure heart vine caught it gently, wrapping it in a warm resonance.
Then came the second, the third...
More and more Echo shadows began to respond.
The Chaotic Mist seemed enraged; its contractions and expansions became more violent, and the chaotic light streams hunted those attempting to escape like frenzied tentacles.
The speck of light wove through them, fraught with danger, yet it never stopped.
Until it reached the deepest part of the mist.
There, there were no Echo shadows, no energy debris.
Only a seed.
A Seed of Rules—entwined, protected, and simultaneously imprisoned by countless chaotic light streams.
The speck of light stopped before the seed and trembled.
Because it sensed that this seed was growing... slowly, on a scale of millennia.
And what it grew was more Chaotic Mist, more devouring instinct, and more silence.
This seed was the true lesion of the Silent Quadrant.
The speck of light transmitted this information back to the dawn through the resonance network.
Inside the bridge, Bai Cheng's silver eyes suddenly constricted.
She understood.
The Old Observers had not just left behind prisons, pendulums, and voids.
They had also left behind... a disease.
A disease of rules that would self-replicate, self-spread, and drag all existence into silence and chaos.
And this seed was only the first.
In other corners of the Silent Quadrant, in the deeper reaches of the Star Abyss, there might be more.
She looked at the book of commonality; the pages were automatically recording this discovery, the handwriting heavy as iron:
【Silent Quadrant · Deep Record: Rule Lesion Discovered】
【Characteristics: Self-replication, spreading silence, devouring echoes】
【Threat Level: Extremely High】
【Recommendation: Immediate containment and search for other potential lesions】
Bai Cheng took a deep breath, looking out the porthole at the Chaotic Mist and the speck of light struggling to transmit hope within it.
She also looked toward the more distant direction where Zi Yuan and Blue Bird were fighting.
The sparks have scattered, and the river of light shines eternal.
But on this path, what awaited them was more than just silent singers and lost echoes.
There were also thorns.
There was also disease.
And there were those evil seeds left behind by the old era, still growing in the darkness.
And she, they, had to face it all.
Because the significance of the Starfire Archives lay not only in collecting beauty.
It also lay in facing all the darkness that sought to negate existence, and in that darkness, lighting the next cluster of light.
"Lu Duo, Yu Nian," Bai Cheng's voice was calm and firm, "Prepare the resonance purification protocol. We might not be able to completely destroy that seed, but at the very least, we must place a seal on it to delay its growth."
"Then, we move to the next coordinates."
"There are thirty-six more similar places in the Silent Quadrant."
"Our work has only just begun."
The engines of the dawn lowed again as if in response.
And deep within that Chaotic Mist, that speck of light continued to flicker stubbornly.
Inside the bridge of the dawn, the recording of the Rule Lesion had just been completed.
The speck of light that returned from the mist appeared exceptionally exhausted, floating quietly in the resonance container with a dim glow.
Lu Duo adjusted the Emerald Network, her gaze falling on the thirty-seven markers on the star chart.
Her voice carried a hint of heaviness, "We've only dealt with one location."
Yu Nian's pure heart vine lightly brushed the walls of the container, gently soothing the speck of light. "It has already done enough."
"Without it, we wouldn't have even discovered that seed."
Bai Cheng stood before the main console, her silver eyes watching the receding Chaotic Mist outside the porthole.
It had been temporarily sealed; a field of tranquility woven from the oath of starlight and the Emerald Network delayed the seed's growth.
But this was only a temporary measure.
She turned to her companions. "We need to formulate a new strategy. Thirty-seven targets; the efficiency of just the three of us is too low. We must leverage more power."
The book of commonality flipped open automatically, displaying the current status of the Archives.
The Mirror Eye System had covered the adjacent star sectors, Chiyan's garrison fleet had expanded by a third, and among the newly received echoes, there were many individuals with special resonance abilities.
It was time to summon them.
Bai Cheng's finger lightly touched the page, and the light of the oath of starlight rippled out like water.
A clear summons was sent through the river of light network to the Starfire Archives, to the dawn, and to all existences resonating with the Archives.
The message was brief and ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ clear: Silent lesions discovered, assembly required for purification.
The first to respond was the Archives.
Chiyan's image appeared on the communication screen, battle intent dancing in her flame-like eyes.
"The garrison fleet is ready; we can dispatch two rapid response formations."
Huang Yu added, "Several newly joined resonators have expressed their willingness to assist."
"One is from a botanical civilization, skilled at soothing chaotic energy; another was once an auxiliary unit of the Observers, capable of analyzing rule structures."
Lan Xiaoyu waved with a smile, "Leave the logistics and medical support to me!"
Almost simultaneously, Leng Ningxue's report arrived.
The Thousand Mirror Eye had completed preliminary scans of three other targets.
"Two are solidified structures with faint conscious activity inside; one is a chaotic product, but on a smaller scale."
"I have synchronized the coordinates and scan data."
The last to connect were Zi Yuan and Blue Bird. Their images were somewhat blurry, with light fragments of shattering rule chains faintly visible in the background.
Blue Bird's lightning crackled. "Perfect timing, we just smashed open that damn prison over here."
"The people inside... well, they're a bit dazed, but they're willing to come with us."
Zi Yuan's long blade was already sheathed; she spoke succinctly.
"Once we finish the cleanup, we'll head over."
"Estimated time: six hours."
